For Jennifer Kupcho, this week is all about one thing: confidence.
The 25-year-old comes into Congressional Country Club aiming to win her second major of the season, and she’s riding a wave of momentum after her playoff victory a week ago at the Meijer LPGA Classic.
Kupcho won the Chevron Championship by two shots in April, and then the Meijer LPGA Classic for her second LPGA Tour title over Leona Maguire and defending KPMG Women’s PGA Championship winner Nelly Korda.
What a clutch playoff win in Michigan!
— KPMG Women's PGA Championship (@KPMGWomensPGA) June 19, 2022
Congratulations @JenniferKupcho, we'll see you tomorrow at Congressional. #KPMGWomensPGA pic.twitter.com/dAiHzV8nYE
“I think it’s definitely special to get the second one,” Kupcho said of her win last week. “I kind of felt like I was going downhill after the first one, so to be able to get that second one is super special.
“Especially with everyone that was up there. I mean, best players in the world, and there's the same amount of best players out here this week, too.”
Kupcho finished tied for 7th at the KPMG Women’s PGA in 2020, her best-career result at this championship. She acknowledged Congressional would be “a real test” and ball-striking would be key for success over the next four days.
“I think hitting the ball so well last week is really important. Especially coming into a major,” said Kupcho. “On these greens they’re all kind of compartmentalized. It’s definitely important to hit the ball well.”
Kupcho was a can’t-miss star after she finished college and having won the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur. It took her until her breakthrough win at the Chevron, however, to find the winner’s circle on the LPGA Tour.
Now that she’s got that first victory under her belt – and another – she’s feeling even more comfortable when she gets into those pressure-packed situations on the LPGA Tour.
Congratulations to first time major champion @jenniferkupcho!
— KPMG Women's PGA Championship (@KPMGWomensPGA) April 4, 2022
We'll see you in June. 💙#KPMGWomensPGA pic.twitter.com/Sg7ZdCkumV
“Obviously, chasing a win is a lot different than having them already under your belt. You have a lot more confidence when you are in contention to be able to actually follow through and win,” said Kupcho.
Despite having two wins on the LPGA Tour so far this season – both Kupcho and Minjee Lee have notched a major-championship win plus a regular Tour event – Kupcho isn’t immune to the difficulty presented by Congressional Country Club.
Although she’s used her elite ball-striking with aplomb so far this season, sitting fifth on Tour in Greens in Regulation, when asked what the “most difficult” aspect of the course was, she had a pointed reply.
“All of it,” she said with a laugh. “I think probably the greens, but I mean, that also relates to hitting shots into the greens as well as putting and short games. A lot of it.
“I think I really like the challenge of it. I think that it's going to be a really good test of golf, and certainly the best player is going to come out on top, and it's definitely going to take a lot of mental preparation and patience.”
Kupcho has shown that her preparation and patience has paid off already in spades. Now she’s hoping even more of that – plus all that momentum from her win last week – will take her to the winner’s circle at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
